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Every month, Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors spotlight a group of rising artists whose music we love. Think “diamantes en bruto,” or “diamonds in the rough.” These are newcomers who have yet to impact the mainstream — but whose music excites us, and who we believe our readers should make a point to discover.
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Our latest edition of On the Radar Latin includes a wave of emerging artists, who we discovered either by networking, or coming across their music at a showcase, or elsewhere. See our recommendations this month below:
Artist: Baltazar Lora
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Country: Colombian American
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Baltazar Lora was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky to Colombian parents, which explains why his sound straddles two different worlds. There’s the Latin side that pulls at his heart strings and feeds on 70s classics from the Latin songbook. Check out his funky take on Danny Daniel’s “Por el amor de una mujer.” And then there’s what he grew up listening to –alt rock like The Strokes and Cage The Elephant—which inform his original material, melodic, catchy and with an indie vibe that doesn’t fall into the contrived territory of so many homegrown Latin acts. Lora can sing equally well in both English and Spanish, and in fact, his beginnings with his own band, in high school and later at Yale University, were in English. He’s not only convincing in Spanish but also fills a void there. His latest single, “Why Bye,” evokes the likes of Cage the Elephant but also Morat, and there’s clearly an appetite for this kind of artist and sound (and the cute hipster look doesn’t hurt either). Now working with veteran producer Kike Santander, Lora is testing different waters, and getting us to listen in the process. — LEILA COBO
Song For Your Playlist: “Why Bye”
Artist: Doctor Nativo
Country: Guatemaya (as he calls it)
Why The Should Be On Your Radar: Doctor Nativo has long been a voice for the voiceless, weaving poetry and activism into music that moves both the spirit and the soul. Formerly known as part of the pioneering Guatemalan hip-hop trio Balam Ajpu — who fused indigenous Mayan philosophy with modern rap — Nativo has continued to channel ancestral wisdom into songs that grapple with current injustices. His latest track, “Minorías,” featuring singer Adriana Primavera, is an emotional portrait of immigrant life. Set against nylon-string guitar melodies and haunting wind instruments, the single tells stories of struggle and survival, sung from the perspective of undocumented immigrants. Themes of familial heartbreak, displacement, and systemic oppression shape the lyrics, painting a devastating yet honest picture of life on the margins. The track, in a way, evokes Manu Chao’s “Clandestino,” striking a rare balance between beauty and heartbreak. The video, shot at the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Tijuana, underscores the song’s urgency, as immigration remains a polarizing topic worldwide.Nativo plays the role of an immigrant caught in the shadow of the American Dream, exposing the toll of chasing asylum and opportunity. — ISABELA RAYGOZA
Song For Your Playlist: “Minorías”
Artist: Vivillo
Country: Spain
Why They Should Be on Your Radar: Vivillo made his professional debut in 2004, when he entered the Benidorm Festival with the song “Soñé” under the stage name Viviarte. He was then 18 and had already been in music for over a decade, as he joined his church choir at the age of 6. Originally from La Línea de Concepción (Cádiz), Vivillo (real name: Rafael Fernández) has a Latin pop/urban sound with flamenco roots that can be heard on songs including “Solo Tú” and “Ella,” his latest singles. He has also collaborated with artists like Chabuco, who joined him on the song “Alma de Cristal” for his 2019 album Hay Quien Espera. – SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS
Song for your playlist: “Ella”
Name: Mattei
Country: Puerto Rico
Why They Should Be On Your Radar: In February, Mattei (real name: Sebastián Rodríguez Mattei) dropped his first-ever song called “Pa Las Girlas” (for the girls). It’s old-school beat à la reggaetón de marquesina instantly captivated the attention of artists such as Feid and Nicky Jam, who helped propel the tune to its viral success on social media. With his clean-cut yet bad-boy look and distinct voice, Mattei promises to become the next breakout star of Puerto Rico — so much so that genre icons Árcangel, De La Ghetto, and Jowell & Randy hopped on the “Pa Las Girlas (Remix)” earlier this month. — JESSICA ROIZ
Song For Your Playlist: “Pa Las Girlas (Remix)” feat. Árcangel, De La Ghetto, Jowell & Randy
After leading Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart since last January, Bad Bunny’s “DTMF” cracks the No. 1 slot on the Latin Airplay chart (dated May 31). It’s the third song from Debí Tirar Más Fotos, his sixth solo album, to hit the top of the overall Latin radio ranking.
“DTMF” advances 2-1 in its 13th week on the Latin Airplay chart, after a 31% gain in audience impressions, to 8.8 million, earned in United States during the May 16-22 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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“DTMF” marks the third track from the album Debí Tirar Más Fotos to hit No. 1 on the tally, after “El Clúb” and “Baile Inolvidable” each charted at the summit for two weeks between February and March.
As Benito claims the Latin Airplay crown, he adds a 28th chart-topping hit –a run that started in 2018– and enters a tie with Daddy Yankee for the fourth-most since the ranking began in 1994. Here’s a recap of those artists with the most wins, with Shakira standing out as the sole female representation among those acts with at least 24 No. 1s:
No. 1s, Artist37, J Balvin35, Ozuna32, Enrique Iglesias28, Bad Bunny28, Daddy Yankee24, Maluma24, Shakira
Rauw Alejandro & Luis Angel ‘El Flaco’ Score Big Wins: Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Rauw Alejandro and Luis Angel ‘El Flaco’ score additional gains.
Rauw Alejandro returns to the summit on the Latin Pop Airplay chart almost a year after “Touching The Sky” ruled for one week (August 2024). His recent single, “Carita Linda” jumps 3-1 in its sixth week with 4.15 million in audience impressions, up 19%, earned during the same period. The song becomes the Puerto Rican’s seventh ruler, and third unaccompanied by any other act.
Meanwhile, Luis Angel ‘El Flaco’ scores a second champ on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart with “Vuelve a Mi.” The song, which climbs 5-1, becomes the airplay Greatest Gainer of the week after a 44% boost in impressions, to 6.7 million.
“Vuelve a Mi” also takes Luis Angel to his third top on the overall Latin Airplay chart, where it rallies 14-4 in its 11th recap.
K Music has signed a worldwide admin deal with Kobalt, the company announced on Wednesday (May 28). The agreement was done via the indie label’s K Music Publishing; Kobalt will administer future output and select tracks in the company’s repertoire.
The strategic partnership with Kobalt aims to provide K Music Publishing with the global reach and resources to “further elevate its artists, expand their presence worldwide, and drive continued success in the evolving music industry,” according to a press release. Founded in 2019 by Alfredo Becerra, Leonardo Soto and Carlos Santos, K Music is home to música mexicana star Luis R Conriquez.
“Freddy, Leo, and their team have built in K Music a modern music company infused with a passionate entrepreneurial spirit embodied by the music of its artists,” Nestor Casonu, president of Latin America for Kobalt, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome K Music Publishing into the Kobalt global family.”
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“We are excited to join the Kobalt Family,” added Alfredo Becerra, CEO of K Music. “This partnership is a significant milestone for K Music and K Music Publishing. We look forward to the incredible possibilities that lie ahead. This deal is not just about securing the intellectual property of our songwriters but about offering new pathways to the talented creators we represent, helping them break through new markets, and achieving even greater success.”
The deal includes Conriquez’s runway hit “Si No Quieres No” with Netón Vega, which scored the Sonora-born singer-songwriter his first Hot 100 entry. K Music — previously Kartel Music — also includes acts such as Joel De La P, Tony Aguirre, Dinamicos Jrs, Novillos De La Sierra and Said Norzagaray on its roster.
“Kobalt partners with companies that are reshaping the future of music,” said Tere Romo, Kobalt’s senior creative director for Latin America. “K Music has consistently demonstrated its ability to discover and develop groundbreaking talent in the música mexicana community. This partnership marks an exciting new phase for both of our companies and we’re thrilled to support K Music Publishing as they continue to push the boundaries of the genre and bring their incredible artists to a global audience.”
K Music Publishing was represented in the deal by Christopher Navarro, partner at Singh, Singh & Trauben LLP.
Sueños Music Festival in Chicago was full of the hottest latin stars, including Shakira, Peso Pluma and El Alfa! We take you inside the two-day festival and run through everything you might have missed. What was your favorite part of Sueños Music Festival? Let us know in the comments! Narrator:Sueños Music Festival in Chicago took […]
The 2025 Heat Latin Music Awards promises to deliver memorable performances and big wins, and is set to air live from Medellín, Colombia, on Thursday, May 29.
Popularly known as Premios Heat, this year’s nominations are led by Beéle with seven nods, including best urban artist and song of the year. The Colombian Afrobeat artist is followed by six-time nominees Bad Bunny and Feid; Elena Rose with five nods; and with four nominations each are Karol G, Camilo, Yamie Safdie and Ovy On The Drums.
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In previous years, Premios Heat — founded by Colombian music executive and Billboard Latin Power Player Diana Montes — was celebrated on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. This is the first time the event takes place in Colombia.
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The awards show launched in 2015 via the HTV and TBS networks, and counted on the support of artists such as Juanes, Juan Luis Guerra, Nicky Jam and a then-rising J Balvin.
“We have only existed for 10 years but have grown in a huge way,” Montes told Billboard last year. “When we started, HTV was only seen in Latin America, and there was no great impact in Mexico or the U.S. Now we’ve expanded. From 2020, 2021, our biggest audiences are in the United States, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, in that order.”
Below, check out how to watch the show and see who the performers are for the 2025 edition.
How to Watch
Fans will be able to watch the 2025 Heat Latin Music Awards at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday (May 29) via television on TeleMedellín and through a global livestream on the LosHeat.Tv app.
Performers
Alex Campos
Alexis y Fido
Arelys Henao
Beéle
DJ Adoni
Eddy Herrera
Elena Rose
El Blachy
Farruko
Francy
Hades 66
Jessi Uribe
Jombriel
Juan Duque
Kapo
Lirios
LIT Killah
Luis Alfonso
Majo Aguilar
Miguel Bueno
Nacho
Nanpa Basico
Paola Jara
Pipe Bueno
Wilfran Castillo
Yailin La Más Viral
Gloria Estefan is ready to introduce the world to Raíces, her first Spanish-language album in 18 years and the 30th in her 50-year career. It is, in the words of the superstar, “like a modern Mi Tierra” — a sort of sequel to her iconic first LP in her native language, but freer.
“When we had the concept for the [1993] album Mi Tierra, we wanted to highlight a rich era of Cuban music that had been celebrated worldwide B.C. — before Castro,” the Cuban-American artist tells Billboard Español. “Back then, we were very careful to use the language that would have been used in the 1940s in the songs — the arrangements, the instrumentation, we kept it very much of that era. Here, we felt free to explore, always keeping family in mind and the music that gave us so much richness, and which helped us create these fusions, but coming from a very organic and real place.”
Set to release on Friday (May 30) under Sony Music Latin, Raíces consists of 13 tracks mostly written by musician and producer Emilio Estefan Jr., Gloria’s inseparable partner in life and career for over four decades. Salsa, bolero, and tropical rhythms resonate in songs ranging from previously released singles like “Raíces” and “La Vecina (No Sé Na’)” to deeply romantic tracks such as “Tan Iguales y Tan Diferentes,” “Te Juro,” “Agua Dulce,” and “Tú y Yo.”
Among the few songs penned by Gloria is the sweet “Mi Niño Bello (Para Sasha),” dedicated to her only grandson, with the English version “My Beautiful Boy (For Sasha).” “Since he was born, we’ve had a very beautiful and close relationship,” she proudly shares, adding that in Spanish she wanted to create something “with the flavor of ‘Drume Negrita,’ something very classic, a Cuban lullaby.”
A second song on the album, “Cuando el Tiempo Nos Castiga” (co-written by Emilio and Gian Marco and originally recorded by Jon Secada in 2001), also has a new English version courtesy of Gloria, titled “How Will You Be Remembered.” “I never translate exactly. I think about the feeling, the emotion, what one wants to express about the theme, and I approach it in the new language. In English, I was thinking more about legacy — you want to feel happy with what you left behind,” she explains about the discrepancy in the titles, with the one in Spanish meaning “When time punished us.”
Estefan — who in 2023 became the first Latina inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2024 received the Legend Award at the Billboard Latin Women in Music ceremony — usually writes more for her albums, but this time she was focused on creating songs for the upcoming Broadway musical BASURA alongside her daughter Emily when Emilio presented her with the idea for the song “Raíces” a couple of years ago.
“Emilio didn’t even realize it was my 50th [career anniversary],” recalls Estefan, who wanted to do something special to celebrate the milestone. “I told him, ‘Babe, I can’t change my mindset for this, but I would like, if I do an album again, for it to be tropical, for it to be in Spanish.’ He says, ‘Do you trust me?’ I go, ‘Who else am I gonna trust than you?’”
Raíces is Gloria Estefan’s first Spanish-language album since 90 Millas, which debuted and spent three weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart in October 2007. Mi Tierra, meanwhile, spent a whooping 58 weeks at the top of the chart.
Estefan also spoke about the new Pope Leo XIV, immigration, and more. Watch the interview in the video above.
Gloria Estefan, ‘RAICES’
Courtesy Photo
Gloria Estefan is about to release her first Spanish album in 18 years, ‘Raíces’. She sits down to talk about how the album was created with her husband, Emilio, dedicating a song to her grandson, her opinions on the new Pope, her thoughts on immigration issues in the U.S., and more. Are you excited for […]
After collecting multiple hits across Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart and Latin Airplay charts, Beéle makes his first appearance on the albums rankings as Borondo. The Colombian singer-songwriter’s debut set launches on the Top Latin Albums (at No. 10) and Top Latin Rhythm Albums (at No. 4) lists, dated May 31.
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Borondo, a 26-track album, was released May 15 on Hear This Music/5020 Records. The set starts at No. 10 on Top Latin Albums with 11,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the tracking week ending May 22, according to Luminate.
During the tracking week of May 16-22, Borondo‘s debut was driven primarily by streaming activity, with the album’s songs generating 17 million official on-demand streams. Meanwhile, the remainder of the total-week sum came from a minimal contribution of album sales and track-equivalent units. (Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.)
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Further, Borondo’s entrance marks a breakthrough for Puerto Rican indie label Hear This Music—founded by DJ Luian and Mambo Kingz— achieving its first performance and top 10 on any Billboard albums tally since its formation in 2015 (the imprint has earned 20 entries on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including three top 10s).
The set was previewed by one charting song: “Mi Refe,” with Ovy on The Drums, peaked at No. 8 on Latin Rhythm Airplay in April.
Prince Royce, Mora & Sebastian Yatra Achieve Top 10 Success: Elsewhere on the Latin albums charts, three other Latin artists leave a mark this week, starting with Prince Royce, whose album Eterno debuts at No. 3 on the Top Tropical Albums chart, his eighth straight top 10 since the 54-week ruler album Prince Royce in 2010.
Eterno, a collection of 20th century English hits turned-bilingual bachatas, becomes the Hot Shot debut of the week on Top Tropical Albums with 3,000 equivalent album units earned during the tracking week ending May 22. The album’s songs generated 1.9 million official on-demand streams in its first week.
“How Deep Is Your Love” is the only song that previewed the album; it hits new peaks on the overall Latin Airplay (No. 5) and Tropical Airplay (No. 4) charts after a 35% boost in audience impressions, to 7 million.
Puerto Rican Mora secures his fifth top 10 on the Top Latin Rhythm Albums chart with Lo Mismo De Siempre, as the album bows at No. 9 with 7,000 equivalent album units, also largely from streaming activity (9.8 million official on-demand streams in its opening week).
The Rimas-released set, dropped on an off-cycle Sunday, May 18, thus, debuts on the chart with only five days of activity (the chart’s tracking week runs Friday through Thursday).
Lastly, Sebastian Yatra’s Milagro starts at No. 9 on Top Latin Pop Albums with 2,000 equivalent album units. The 17-track album, released May 18 on Universal Music Latino/UMLE, generated 2.3 million official streams during the same period. It becomes Yatra’s fourth top 10 on the tally.
All charts (dated May 31, 2025) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow, May 28 (a day later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday May 26). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Tiësto tells us all about his collab with Sexyy Red and Kaskade talks about what it’s like to perform at EDC festival 2025. we also run down the highlights from Suenos Festival and Bottle Rock, all presented by Amazon Prime. From the blasting beats of EDM in Vegas to hot Latin sounds in Chicago and […]
Morat’s Ya Es Mañana (YEM) album has topped Billboard’s latest new Latin music poll published on Friday, May 23. In support of the weekly New Music Latin roundup and playlist, curated by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors, music fans voted for the Colombian band’s new studio album as their favorite music release of the week.
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The 14-track set, released via Universal Music Spain, generated more than 59% of the vote, beating out other new album releases last week including Alejandro Sanz’s ¿Y Ahora Qué?; Jesse & Joy’s Lo Que Nos Faltó Decir; and Los Tigres del Norte’s La Lotería, to name a few.
In YEM, the Bogotá-based group celebrates brotherhood, evolution, and above all, dreams coming true. The tracks are mostly inspired by riveting rock music from the ’90s, and include two collaborations: “Sin Ti” with Jay Wheeler and “Me Toca a Mi” with Camilo.
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https://open.spotify.com/album/3ImR4LsUQPbMKCa8FCuFYO?si=HA5XxSbcR9-6e8HMfRmrWA
“This is the moment to make the most of life, to be aware of what we must do now to create an incredible future,” said group member Juan Pablo Villamil during the band’s album release party in Miami. “For us, this album embodies the idea of the band we have always wanted to be, and we hope you enjoy it.”
Sanz’s new EP — whcih includes collabs with Shakira, Manuel Turizo and Grupo Frontera — and Karol G’s steamy perreo “Latina Foreva” came in at second and third place, respectively, on the fan-related poll. See the results of the latest poll below, which also included new songs by Greeicy, Carín León, Myke Towers, and Christian Nodal.
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Editor’s Note: The weekly New Music Latin poll results are posted if the poll generates over 500 votes.
